


Candids

by xsmlzy



Category: DCU (Comics), Jason Todd - Fandom, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluffy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 01:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16692409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsmlzy/pseuds/xsmlzy
Summary: Request for a reader who happens to run a very successful blog as a photojournalist about Gotham’s finest vigilantes and the Red Hood happens to be the reader’s favourite.





	1. Chapter 1

One perk that came with being a freelance photojournalist meant you got to take cool candids for your blog. One perk that came with being a freelance photojournalist in Gotham, meant you got to take cool candids of the city’s very own vigilantes in action for your very dedicated blog.

People often asked you why you didn’t work with any of the news agencies like Gotham Gazette or GNN but you had, as an intern and you hated the working conditions. You were on call 24/7 and your deadlines were tight and sometimes you were out for hours following the action. Instead, you ended up selling some of your photos to them whenever they need material.

Now you worked on your own terms and your blog was decently successful. People from all over read your articles and shared your work, even though it was mostly just you gushing professionally about Batman and his group of birds and bats.

You had gotten a cold from lack of sleep and a stakeout at the docks from last week so you hadn’t been keeping up your blog, but the feeling of drowsiness and constant hacking of your lungs had lessened over the past few days so you decided it was time to get back into the kick of things.

Talk on social media said Nightwing was apparently back in town so you wanted to try and get some good shots of him before he went back into hiding. With your gear bag, you headed out for your hunt.

Two hours had passed on your stakeout and so far, all you had were a couple shots of the Pioneer’s bridge from your spot. You looked around through your camera and noticed someone sitting on the ledge of the clock tower a few blocks from you. You couldn’t tell who it was but you were hoping it was Nightwing.

You drove over and located the back door, instantly regretting your decisions when you noticed how many flights of stairs you had between you and your destination.

“The things I do for my blog…” You sighed as you tried to quicken up your pace before you missed Nightwing. The door to rooftop was alright slightly ajar so you quietly pushed it open to see if someone was still out there and to your surprise, they were. 

You had been hoping it was Nightwing, but it wasn’t. It was the Red Hood in all his glory, sitting next to the gargoyle. He was dressed in his usual leather jacket and red helmet. He looked to almost be, pondering about something. You quickly uncapped your camera and got your angle right but what you had forgotten to do was turn off your flash.

You should have been more careful but it was too late to fix your mistake because the bright light had caught the vigilante’s attention and before you knew it, you were being held at gunpoint. The Red Hood stood on the ledge he was previously occupying with a gun aimed directly at you.

You let out a yelp of surprise as your camera fell against your abdomen and your hands came up in surrender.

“WHO ARE YOU AND WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?” The Red Hood shouted as you tried to take a step back. That was your second mistake because he clicked off the safety lock of his gun and you knew if you dared to move another muscle, the next click wouldn’t be the safety lock returning to place. 

You had heard the stories of the Red Hood and although it seemed less terrifying over your computer screen, you were nearly wetting your pants at the sheer thought of what he could do. “I-I don’t work for anyone! I’m a freelance journalist!”

“A what?” He asked and you trembled in your spot.

“A freelance journalist, I take photos of Gotham’s vigilantes and write articles about you guys on my blog.” You replied as you tried to sound brave but that wall came tumbling down as the masked vigilante walked up to you, gun still pointed. You whimpered as you closed your eyes.

Is this how you were going to die? Is this what they call “death on the job” because you’re not sure whether this is how you wanted to go.

You were sure he was going to blow your brain to mush with a click of the trigger but instead, you heard a slight snort and the gun being put back into his holster.

You opened your eyes slowly and looked up at the man in front you. You only ever got shots of him from far away but wow, was he ever tall and bulky…

“So you’re a fan? I didn’t know I had those.” He crossed his arms across his chest, adorned in with the red bat symbol. 

“Y-yeah?” You wanted to tell him how he was quite well-liked within the community of readers on your blog but your voice faded out before you had the chance. You stood up a little straighter and gave a tiny cough. “My readers quite like you. They question your ethics but I might have accidentally swayed their opinions from that…”

“You’ve written articles about me?” 

You were a bit taken back by the question but you nodded anyway, “Well, you are a vigilante, are you not?” 

He thought about it for a second before chuckling, “I think I’m more of the anti-hero.”

You cocked your head to the side, capping your camera as you waited for an answer.

“I kill people and last I checked, everyone else sort of just injures them or knocks ‘em out for the cops to deal with.” 

“But you’re still doing for the city, even if it’s not ethical… per say, you still get rid of the bad guys.” Red Hood shrugged in response. 

The two of you stood in awkward silence for a couple seconds before he spoke up. “Do you have any cool candids of me to share?” You looked up in surprise and all though you couldn’t see his face, it sounded like he was smiling.

The two of you walked over to the ledge and you went through your camera, showing him the photos you had of him on your memory card. He took the time to admire them and ask about your job. It didn’t come as a surprise that he was a nice guy, but his funny personality kind of did. He joked around with you and even shared a few laughs and by the end of the night, you had long forgotten about why you even came up here in the first place.

He didn’t talk much about himself except how he died once and this was one of his favourite places to come when he wanted time alone to think or take up the view of the city, although he was very adamant you did not disclose that information to anyone. You zipped your lip and threw the invisible key, to which he laughed at.

Depicting body language came with the job as a writer and from the way he moved when he talked about himself, you could take from that the life of being an “anti-hero” was pretty lonely. You wanted to ask him for his opinion about relationships as a vigilante but thought better than to impede on his personal life.

He also took the time to apologize for holding you at gunpoint but you just brushed him off telling him you should be the one apologizing for trying to sneak up on him like that.

The two of you just hung out side by side as you took some quick photos of the view. Out of your peripheral vision, you could see Red Hood trying to take subtle glances at you, but you pretended not to notice. He was probably looking at something else or still tense from you sneaking up on him. After all, he was trained to be wary and vigilant of people and surroundings.

“Uh, I should probably head home to write my article… Plus you have a city to protect and all.” You smiled awkwardly as you packed up your stuff. 

“Yeah, thank you for keeping me company.” Red Hood nodded along before looking around. “Do you have a safe way home?”

“I got my car downstairs.” You pointed your thumb at the door and started walking backward. “I guess I’ll see you around, don’t die again!”

The two of you shared a nod and you left. A hand came up to your chest as you bent over to breathe once the door was closed. Really? Don’t die again? Who the hell says that to a guy who once died? You couldn’t be more mortified at your choice of words, and before you could think anymore, you ran down the steps of the creepy stairs and got in your car to leave.

You spent the remainder of the night writing your article in your dimly lit apartment about how lonely the crime-fighting life can get. You could only assume how hard it was to find love and keep up relationships when you had bad guys going after you and your job consisted of putting yourself on the cusp of death every night. You wrote your thoughts down and checked it for errors before attaching the slightly edited photo of the Red Hood sitting next to his favourite gargoyle, Francis as he called it, before publishing it.

Over the course of the next few days, reads and comments poured in on your post, some agreeing with you and others asking where you got your “source” from. Many were amazed at how close and personal the photo was, stopping in the comments to ask if you knew him personally. You couldn’t address the last two so you just left them as it was and carried on with your other stuff.

The next time you saw him, you were catching Red Hood taking down a few thugs in Crime Alley. The photos worked out beautifully and you were just about to leave your spot in the alley across when he noticed your camera peeking out. The two of you stared at each other for a split second before you ran out the other side of your alley and drove off. The time after that, he was fighting alongside Arsenal to stop a drug shipment down at the docks. That one was a difficult scene to capture and just when you thought you had a good photo, you realized he had caught you once again and this time gave you a thumbs up in your photo. The fight was getting bad and the sound of more men coming scared you off.

You were still a little embarrassed about your awkward departure so you tried to make sure you always left before the fight was over, to avoid contact with him.

Tonight was a stakeout night so you were back at the rooftop a few blocks from the clock tower. The one that gave you a good view of his gargoyle. It was around two in the morning when you thought you had seen him perched in his usual spot tonight, but when you brought your camera up to your face, the figure was gone.

You were slightly disappointed. You took quite a liking to the red helmet wearing vigilante, but of course, you couldn’t come forth with that kind of confession to someone you didn’t really know and after your awkward departure, you really couldn’t work up the guts to face him again.

You were scoping out the rooftops through your camera, panning over for any signs of the bright red helmet when you turned to the side and yelped as the familiar red bat symbol had come into a close-up view. You let your camera fall against you as you bent over to catch your breath and calm your heartbeat. “Now I know how that feels.”

A chuckle came from him, slightly muffled from his mask but nonetheless loud enough for you to catch. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he stood in front of you. “Have you been avoiding me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, I told you I kept a safe distance from the action. I don’t want to get involved.” You defended yourself as you packed up. 

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, I would protect you if someone else caught you.” The cocky attitude was laced in his words and you couldn’t help but blush. 

“Why waste your time?” 

“Because who else is going to take sexy candids of me during my fights if Gotham lost their best photojournalist?” He leaned up against the edge of the building as you stopped for a moment. “I read your article by the way. The one with me and the gargoyle.” 

Your eyes widened as you blushed furiously, “And?”

“It was really well-written. You hit the nail right on the head.” He praised you and your heart swelled at his compliment. The Red Hood just complimented your work. The Red Hood read your work. “But to be honest, I wasn’t feeling all that lonely that night. I had you to talk to, and I quite enjoyed our time so it was a shame you never came back to visit. I was expecting you to when you said you would see me around.”

Your heartbeat echoed in your ears as you looked up to meet his masked eyes. “It looks like you’re closing shop for the night but if you get the chance next time, come visit Francis and I. If not, I’ll look for you myself.” And with that, he was gone. You heard him grapple away but you were still in shock from what he said to move.


	2. Bonus Content

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff, goodie!

That night, you went home with this constant tightness in your chest. 

_Did he really mean that?_

You tossed and turned that whole night, your blog long forgotten after your newest article was posted. You were giddy about the fact he wanted to hang out more. So much so, you found yourself randomly squealing as you did your nightly routine. 

_He was just being friendly. Yeah, friendly…_

Although his playful threat might have meant nothing, you low-key really wanted to know if he would put in the effort to look for you. So the first night or two, you purposely kept a low profile during your outings to stay hidden from Red Hood. I mean, it was hard to considering he ran on rooftops and it wouldn’t be too hard to spot a lurking figure taking photos during the dead of night. 

However, by night number three, you actually had a meeting with a couple members from the Gazette over a deal which included you getting paid a hefty amount if you went to Metropolis the next morning to take photos of an upcoming protest and rally. You were hoping to be able to sneak out but a friend who was visiting from out of town wanting to grab drinks. 

The next morning, you had to take the train down to Metropolis in the morning for the protest that lasted until eight in the evening and so you got home pretty late anyways.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, you kind of missed seeing the familiar red helmet head around so you decided enough with the hiding. You were surprised you even had enough willpower to not make your presence known on your usual building or to visit the clock tower, considering how antsy you had been the night of your guys’ confrontation.

You drove out to the clock tower and made your way up the creepy steps once more, this time you decided to knock on the door before opening it in case he was already there. You really didn’t want to have a gun pointed at you again…

The smell of cigarette smoke lingered on the rooftop so you could only assume he was smoking before he heard you. 

“Playing hard to get, huh?” He jokingly asked as you dropped your bag off and went to lean against the ledge with him. 

With a shrug and a smirk, you looked over to him, “Had to see if you were all talk and no walk.” 

He chuckled in response before taking a seat on the ledge and leaned against Francis. “What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t own up to my word?” 

You shrugged as you looked over the edge and then returned your attention to him. You silently prayed he didn’t jostle around too much or else he’d fall and you really didn’t want to write an article about an _Fallen Hero_. ~~No pun intended.~~

“I found your personal portfolio on your blog and I checked the places you frequented most.” It didn’t sound like a lie but you quirked your eyebrow nonetheless. “I went onto of the Pioneer’s bridge, the library, Chinatown and your favourite building.” His slender fingers pointed over to the building a few blocks from the clock tower, the one where he met you last time. 

An amused smile graced your face as you nodded. “Impressive observation but what about-”

“Amusement mile?” Red Hood interrupted. “I was tempted, but it didn’t seem likely considering nothing exciting was going on.” 

“Who’s the stalker now?” You teased as you nudged his foot beside you. 

“I prefer the term, _photojournalist_.”

With the remainder of the night, the two of you caught up. He told you what had happened while you were in Metropolis and you started to have a friendly debate about the protest you were at. Red Hood was confused as to why he didn’t see a post about the protest on your blog and you had to explain that, anything photos and articles you sold to the news companies weren’t allowed to be published on your own platforms because it was technically theirs. Although you still got the credit and signature on the print. You talked most of the night as he actively listened, intrigued by your words and amused by your line of work. 

“So what do you look like without the helmet and everything?” You asked out of the blue as you two watched the twinkling lights. 

You were expecting a description but you only got a cheeky response, “If you want to know what I look like without my clothes on, you’re gonna have to take me on a couple dates first.” 

A blush crept onto your cheek but you were quick to turn away so he didn’t see. “I uh-I meant just your helmet, not literally everything.” 

“Guess you’ll have to wait.” Red shrugged his shoulders and you shook your head. You knew he was smirking underneath that helmet from the tone of his voice ~~and ugh this lil’ bugger~~.

Over the next week and a half, you tried to get him to take his helmet off. You brought homemade snacks with you once, but he politely declined, telling you he already ate, but would gladly take some home for later. The next day you decided to take a break so he wouldn’t get suspicious with all your nice gestures, so you chose to ask him about his “job” and where he got his information from. 

He told you that he had resources to which you sighed, “Must be nice to know where all the actions gonna be.”

The two of you continued conversing till you decided it was time to head home. “Here.” You looked over to the object he was nudging you with and realized he was giving you his phone. “Give me your number.”

Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion but you put your number in before you realized he had you as ‘Paparazzi’ for your contact name. He tapped around his phone before you felt your own phone buzz. You took his number and saved him as ‘Red Skittle’ in your contacts and thanked him, although you weren’t sure what for. The two of you bid your goodnights and headed separate ways.

Turns out, Red Hood became your source for locations. If there was a drug bust going down in the East End, you would know about it half an hour in advance. Bank robbery in the Diamond District, you’re on it. If it wasn’t his mission he would ask you how your day was going to share a funny story before he slipped in the location. If he was, however, taking it on, you just got a simple area code and a time. 

Crime rates climbed up so both of you were out almost every night fighting and taking photos before meeting up at your rendezvous point to relax. 

At last night’s meet-up you hinted that if he ever wanted a photo shoot in his civilians clothes, you would happily do it for free. Instead, he promised he would take you up on your offer the day he gets an Instagram account. Without even realizing it, Red Hood has foiled almost all your plans at getting him to take his helmet off, and at this point, you were growing more curious and impatient as ever.

Tonight was going to take a different approach. In the middle of the quiet lounging around, you decided to try a game of truth or dare. You didn’t peg him to be the truth type so you were excited for your plan to finally work. 

Except, it didn’t. Disappointment flooded you from head to toe as you squinted at him from your spot by your gargoyle, Chippy because one of his fangs had broken off and he looked like he had a chipped tooth.

You gave a pout as he picked truth once again, “You’re no fun, always picking truth.” 

“That’s because I know you’ll dare me to take off my helmet, and you know I don’t back down from any dares.” 

_Busted._

“How did you even-”

“Really, bringing me irresistibly delicious homemade snacks, which by the way were gone the moment you left because I lied about eating and they were so good. Offering me free business, and the good ol’ truth or dare.” Jason clicked his tongue as you crossed your arms in defeat with an even bigger pout. 

“I thought I had this one for sure!” You exclaimed as you threw your hands up in frustration. 

“I will give it to you though, that’s the most effort a person has ever put in for me.” Red laughed from his spot and you shook your head as the two of you fell into awkward silence as he pulled out his phone to check something. You twiddled your thumbs as you chewed on your lip. Red slipped his phone back into his pocket before he sat up a little and brought one knee closer to his chest and took a deep breath, “Would you like to go on a date with me, (Y/N)?” 

Your jaw fell slack as you looked at him for any signs of him pulling a prank but it was hard to tell with the helmet obstructing your view. “I uh y-yeah, sure?” _Darn stupid stutter!_ “I mean, yes. Yes, absolutely!” 

“Great, I have some business to take care of outside the city during the day but I can pick you up tomorrow evening?” You quickly thought of your schedule before you nodded, watching Red Hood stand up on the ledge. “Dress comfortably, and wear a leather jacket if you have one.” 

You nodded once again as you made a mental reminder to yourself, “Sounds good, just text me a couple hours in advance?”

“Will do, good night (Y/N).” And with that, he was gone before you had your chance to bid you goodnight. 

Wait… Why a leather jacket?

~~~~~

\- The following evening, you found yourself dressed in blue skinny jeans, a plain white shirt underneath a red flannel ~~(for obvious reasons)~~ and a black leather jacket you quickly picked up at the thrift store prior to your date’s arrival.  
\- When he arrived, he texted you to bring your camera and you went downstairs to meet up.  
\- You weren’t quite sure who you were looking for but you noticed a man leaning against his motorcycle.  
\- As you walked down the front steps, he looked up and gave you a toothy smile.  
\- “I believe I haven’t formally introduced myself yet. The name’s Todd, Jason Todd.” ~~this is 100% something Jason would do don’t you dare tell me otherwise~~  
\- You laughed at his movie reference and gave him a once-over.  
\- “It is nice to finally meet the unmasked version of my blog’s latest star.”  
\- He handed you a spare helmet and helped you on.  
\- “So where are we going?”  
\- “Somewhere with a nice view.”  
\- THIS BOY, DROVE YOU OUT OF TOWN AND TO A NICE PARK AT THE TOP OF THE HILL AND TREATED YOU TO A PICNIC.  
\- HE WANTED TO TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE YOU HADN’T BEEN SO YOU COULD BROADEN YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE  
\- AND BECAUSE HE WANTED AN EXCUSE TO COOK YOU A SMALL DINNER SINCE YOU BAKED HIM SNACKS  
\- The two of you took turns taking goofy photos on the playground and aesthetic photos on your walk through the park and its trails  
\- Although this night was for both you, you were very curious to learn more about Jason and his civilian life and more about him personally  
\- He couldn’t resist saying no to your cute face  
\- So he told you everything.  
\- He loved you.  
\- He loved that you didn’t pity him for his past and you listened to everything he said and even asked questions.  
\- ~~Low-key~~ HIGH-KEY really liked having all of your attention, even though you never lacked even when he was Red Hood.  
\- After your next few dates, your trips to the clock tower became less frequent because you ended up getting a real job and running your blog became a hobby  
\- Mainly because you two became less wary when you hung out as (Y/N) and Red Hood and actual paparazzi caught you two together a couple times  
\- That caused havoc in the comments and so you decided it was best to let the attention die down  
\- So Jason would hang out with you before patrol :)  
\- And Red Hood would visit you during patrol ;)  
\- On the nights you went out for photographs, Red Hood would cheekily pose for photos or do silly things during his fights to make you laugh  
\- You almost got caught twice because you laughed a little too hard and one of the criminals heard you.  
\- Whenever Jason had a free night, he would give you a ride to where the action was and watch you work.  
\- Eventually, the both of you got Instagram which most definitely meant more adventurous outings and picture-taking.


End file.
